Begin at the Beginning
by chippdhearts
Summary: Set after PP2/Before PP1 (sequel/prequel of sorts.) The Bellas meet up again the September after they graduate to attend CR's wedding in Maine. The origins of Aubrey and Chloe, and their journey through college. Slow burn BeChloe. Strong Chaubrey friendship (during the flashbacks). The chapters will alternate between past and post PP2.
1. Day before the wedding - morning

It's a cool September morning in Maine and Cynthia Rose walks around the room where her rehearsal dinner will take place later that night. She is startled by the sound of her fiancé Brooke's voice. "Relax it's going to be great." The honey blonde walks around the table and places her hand on Cynthia Rose's back.

"Yeah, I know. I'm just worried about the drama that comes along with the Bellas. They're all arriving today you know."

"I do. There's going to be drama no matter what, don't stress. Besides they're your friends and they're here to support you. Do you know where they're staying? Or when they're coming? I'd love to meet some of them before tonight."

"Well you know Stacie, she came up from New York 2 days ago."

"Yes she's one of your bridesmaids."

"Right, then Jessica and Ashley are flying in from Seattle, and I think they land this afternoon."

* * *

"Come on we're going to miss our flight!"

"Why did you book such an early flight. You know I hate mornings Jess."

"We wouldn't have arrived in time had I booked a later flight. Quit complaining and get into the cab."

"It's 2 in the morning! We could have flown out yesterday."

"Yes but you didn't want to do that when I was booking the flights." Jessica says as she climbs into the back of the cab. "You can rest on the plane if you're tired."

* * *

Flo shifts uncomfortably in her seat. She's always hated flying, and boats, and buses she's pretty much hates all forms of transport. However she's excited to see the rest of the Bella's again and so she endures the 2 hour plane journey.

* * *

"I have no idea how Lilly is getting here. She's coming, but no one knows when or how." Cynthia Rose says as she makes her way out to the grounds.

"Okay. And your former leader?"

"Aubrey, yes she's not going to be able to make the rehearsal dinner. She's working, but she will be here for the ceremony. I think that she's been in touch with Chloe and Beca and they're all staying in the same hotel."

"And Fat Amy?"

"She's flying in from LA with Bumper."

"Who's Bumper again?"

"Her boyfriend."

"I'm so glad that all of my friends are local. I would lose track of when everyone is arriving."

* * *

It's a clear morning in Tampa, Florida. 6:30 am and Beca hits her alarm clock to turn it off. She turns over and then slowly sits up. She wanders out into the hall of the two bedroom apartment. She can smell coffee brewing and when she walks into the kitchen theres a piping hot cup of coffee waiting for her in her favorite mug. She smiles and takes a sip of the hot liquid.

She places her empty mug in the sink and then she hears the shower turn off. She rinses out the mug before heading to her room to get changed. "Morning Chlo, thanks for the coffee, you're the best!"

"You're welcome. Remember we're leaving at 7… so you have 10 minutes."

"How the hell did I let you convince me that it was a good idea to spend 2 days driving up to Maine?"

"My charm, my good looks…"

"Right, you keep telling yourself that."

"It'll be fun! Plus you're the one who wanted the excuse to get out of the catch up session over coffee. Although I'm not sure why."

"Yes 2 day road trip I'm so excited!"

"You're lucky I put up with you and your sarcastic comments.."

Beca has all of her things packed and so she heads down the stairs with her suitcase. "Come on Chlo, it's almost 7."

"I'm coming!"

The pair sets off on their journey and Beca plugs her iPod in and puts a playlist on shuffle. A song by the black eyed peas comes on. "Bec, this song is so old!"


	2. Fall 2008

The auditorium is packed full of hopeful students who are aiming to earn a spot in one of the 4 a cappella groups on campus at Barden University. "Each of you will be singing 16 bars of 'I gotta feeling' By the black eyed peas. If a group likes you they will contact you directly." The students nod their understanding and then head backstage as the informations sheets that they have filled in are handed out to the captains of the teams.

The first girl makes her way on stage. "She's not Bella material." Amelia whispers to Alice.

"We should call her baloney Barb." Alice whispers back.

"I knew there was a reason I picked you to be my co-captain, even if you are still a sophomore." Amelia responds as she chuckles at the woman on stage.

The Bellas sit through various women who they all deem unfit or unworthy of joining their group. Amelia sits up straight as a blonde wearing a white dress walks on the stage. She taps Alice who doesn't look all that impressed.

"Hello. My name is Aubrey Posen." Amelia is impressed with Aubrey's audition and she puts the piece of paper which lists interests and contact details to one side.

"She wasn't that good." Alice remarks.

"Well she can sing, and she clearly works out. She's not unattractive. I think that we can whip her into shape, and one day she could be a great Bella." Amelia says. Standing up for her choice. They really do need new members. Not many but she thinks it will be good for the group to get some new people before she leaves at the end of the year. She sighs as she sits through more girls who think they can sing when they really can't. And a few who clearly do not have bikini ready bodies. She sorts through the sheets of paper in front of her whenever a guy walks onto the stage. Each of the girls looks highly unimpressed when a pregnant girl walks onto the stage. Alice looks like she's about done with the auditions as she hasn't really liked any of the people who have auditioned.

"Hi." The red head says with a grin on her face. "I'm Chloe." Once again Alice looks unimpressed, but she can't say that the young red head doesn't have good voice. Amelia places her information sheet to one side.

When the auditions are finally over Amelia heads to the auditorium where the girls rehearse. She then lays out the table with the chalice and Bella's scarves. The rest of the girls return with candles and they begin lighting them as Amelia and Alice head off to fetch their new recruits.

The two brunettes pull the black pieces of fabric off the girls heads. "Aubrey and Chloe. Now girls we begin by drinking the blood of the sisters that came before you" Amelia says as she passes the cup to Chloe.

The red head takes a sip before passing it to Aubrey. The blonde takes a sip from the cup after which Alice takes it back from her and places it on the table. One of the girls hands them each a yellow Bella's scarf.

"Now if you place your scarf in your right hand and repeat after me. I, sing your name…" Both girls comply.

"Promise to fulfil the duties and responsibilities of a Bella woman." The girls repeat the words and after this their scarves are taken from them and tied around their heads so they can't see. They are made to sip on a warm thick liquid, which Aubrey comes close to spitting out. After this their scarves are removed and tied around their necks. "You are both Bella's now."

"Come on we should get going." Amelia says.

"Going where? Aubrey asks.

"To aca-initiation night." The two girls follow as the rest of the Bellas make their way across campus.

"I'm Aubrey Posen." The blonde says as she walks alongside the redhead. The rest of the girls don't seem all that welcoming so she instead opts to make friends with the only other person in the same position as her.

"Hi, I'm Chloe. I saw you audition. You have a lovely voice."

"Thank you. I wish I could say the same but I didn't stick around after I finished. Did they come and take you out of your dorm?"

"No worries. Yes they did, it's ritualistic or something like that."

"Me too. My roommate was not very impressed…I wonder how late this party will finish."

"I think you can just leave whenever you want."

"My roommate already hates me. If I come back in the middle of the night I think she might murder me in my sleep."

"Why don't you just come and stay in my room."

"I barely know you, and besides won't your roommate hate you for that."

"She never showed up, so I have the room all to myself. You don't have to if you're worried I might be crazy or something. It was just an offer. Anyway, let me know." The red head says as she makes her way down the stairs and over to the drinks table.

Aubrey makes her way over to one of the co-captains so that she can attempt to get to know the rest of the Bellas. "Hi, I just wanted to thank you for…"

"You shouldn't be thanking me, you should be thanking our captain, Amelia. If it were up to me you wouldn't be here. But she's the boss until next year… You better not screw up."

"I won't…" The blonde says as she walks away from the brunette as quickly as she can. She looks around for Chloe but she can't seem to see the red head anywhere. She goes over to get a drink and gets hit on twice in the process. Eventally Aubrey spots Chloe red hair and she's about to approach the other woman, until she notices that she's making out with a woman. Not that she has a problem with it she just didn't exepct Chloe to be the kind of person who drunkenly makes out with people. Although she doesn't really know Chloe all that well, so who is she to be surprised.

Aubrey feels a tap on her shoulder and she turns around to snap at which ever drunk moron thinks they can just use her like a piece of meat. She's surprised when she comes face to face with her captain, Amelia.

"Hey. Listen Aubrey… I'm not going to lie, I'm not going to go easy on you, but only because I want us to succeed. Alice is, she runs things a little differently to me. She's much harsher, but she's leadership material. Try not to take anything she says too personally. She's a bitch and she's blunt, but she strives for perfection. I'm really glad that you're a Bella now."

"Thanks. I'll try to keep all of that in mind. And thank you so much for allowing me to be a Bella Amelia. I'm going to do everything I can not to dissapoint you."

"I'll see you at practice Monday, 5pm sharp. Enjoy the rest of your night!" Amelia says as she heads off to get another drink.

Aubrey spends most of the rest of the night on her own trying to stay under the radar. At the end of the night she goes to find Chloe and asks if the offer still stands.

"Of course, you're welcome to stay over any time your roommate is being a bitch."

"Are you drunk right now? I never called her a bitch… but that's really nice of you."

"I'm not drunk, I only had 2 or 3 beers… and maybe a shot or two of Vodka. Well we've got to stick together don't we, being the new girls and all."

The pair head back to Chloes dorm room. On the way they chat about what classes they have and how they've been finding everything. "I'm really glad that we're friends Chloe."

"Me too. Do you want to borrow a t-shirt, you can't sleep in jeans and a blouse."

"Sure, thanks." Chloe tosses a clean t-shirt from her closet over to the blonde. She then proceeds to slip her own top on over her dress. She pulls the straps off and then puts on a pair of shorts. She pulls the dress off and steps out of the pool of fabric. When she turns around Aubrey is averting her eyes.

"I'm done. But if we're going to be friends you should know that I'm pretty confident about my body."

"Right well from what I can see you have a nice body… I think I'll go to the bathroom to change."

"Oh don't be silly, I'll stand outside for a minute."

Aubrey is about to stop her but the door is already swinging closed. She sighs and changes into the baggy top before opening the door so that the red head can re-enter the room. "You shouldn't be ashamed of your body. You have lovely legs." she says as she hops into her bed.

"I'm not ashamed I just prefer not to change in front of people who I've only just met."

"Isn't that what high school gym was?"

"Maybe I'm just not as confident as you are." Theres a sadder undertone to the blondes voice and Chloe worries that she might have hit a nerve. "Were you a cheerleader in high school?"

"No I was not."

"Really? I had you pegged as a cheerleader sort."

"I have you pegged as a captain of the debate team or something along those lines."

"Nope, I kept my head down, at my fathers instance."

She hears the blonde yawn slightly and so she shifts the covers and reaches over to her light. "Night Aubrey." The red head says as she switches off the lamp by her bed.

"Goodnight."

* * *

When Aubrey wakes up in the morning she instantly panics when she is unsure as to where she is. But she soon realises that she is in Chloes dorm room. Her breathing starts to slow and she can hear the red head stirring.

"What's wrong?" Chloe says as she sits up and looks over at the blonde.

"Nothing, why would you ask that?"

"Becuase you were about to have a full blown panic attack. Just take a deep breath, I'll get you some water." Chloe says as she hops out of bed and grabs a bottle from one of her shelves. "Here, take a sip of this. That's great, just take another deep breath for me." Chloe of course notes that her friends breathing has slowed slightly and she takes as seat at the edge of the bed. "You did great."

"That was really helpful. Thank you, mmost people just kind of tell you it'll be okay, or ask what's wrong which seems to make everything worse."

"My best friend used to have panic attacks. So I have some experience I guess. Do you want to talk about it? Or we could just go and get some breakfast."

"I woke up and I didn't know where I was, so I freaked out. Breakfast sounds great, but I think I should go back to my room first."

"Of course. Well here's my number." Chloe says as she writes her phone number on Aubreys hand in black ink. "I'll meet you in half an hour at…" She jots an address down as well and then releases the blondes hand.

"I'll see you then. Thanks for letting me stay over."

"Great. No worries, and I meant what I said, any time."

The blonde heads out of the room and makes her way to her own room.

Aubrey shows up at the address that Chloe had written on her hand. It's a small place, just off campus and Aubrey spots the red head through the glass and so she pushes the door open. The girls chat about class and how they both got into singing.

"So how did you find this place?" Aubrey asks as she cuts her waffle into small pieces.

"I was exploring and it was raining so I came in here. I've been coming here every fortnight ever since."

"I might have to steal your secret hide away. These waffles are to die for."

* * *

"Aubrey, can I speak to you?" Alice asks as she forcably drags the blonde to one side. "Your vocals are not up to scratch, and you look like you haven't even bothered to practice the choreography. Sort it out."

She can feel a stream of tears coming on and she desperately doesn't want to cry in front of Alice. She's relieved when the brunette walks away but it doesn't settle the awful feeling in her stomach. She can feel her vision start to cloud as tears start to roll down her cheek and the oh-so familiar sensation where her breathing rate increases because she feels like she's going to choke. She practically rips the scarf off from around her neck.

Suddenly Aubrey feels a hand on the small of her back, and she is quickly being guided to the bathroom. She doesn't even notice that she's shaking until she see's herself in the bathroom mirror. Chloe checks that the room is clear before locking the main door. She then heads into one of the 3 cubicles and lowers the lid of the seat.

"Aubrey can you come and sit down for me?" Chloe says in the calmest tone that she can manage. The blonde shakes her head before she makes a dash for the next cubicle. She's on the floor and empting the contents of her stomach.

Chloe walks into the small cubicle and joins her friend on the floor, thanking her lucky stars that the bathroom is clean. She rubs soothing circles on Aubreys back.

The tears are still coming and she's clutching onto the porcelain white toilet bowl "Bree. Can you take a deep breath for me? In through your nose, and slowly breathe out through your mouth."

Aubrey tries but instead she continues to dry heave. "Focus on my voice and take a deep breath in through your nose." The shaking has stopped and Chloe can tell Aubrey is desperately trying to calm her breathing. "You're doing great, deep breath in and then out again."

Eventally she shifts away from the toilet bowl and Chloe stands up and pushes the flush button. "Let me help you up." The red head says as she offers her hand. Aubrey is still taking deep breaths as she takes her hand and pulls herself up. Chloe hands her a tissue to wipe away her tears and then takes her over to the sink to rinse her mouth.

"Thank you, for staying."

"Bree you're my best friend I couldn't just leave. Now come on lets get out of here." Aubrey follows behind Chloe as she unlocks the door and they head back out. As they are walking down the corridor they are spotted by Alice.

"Where have you two been? Aubrey you look a mess why are you not wearing your scarf?" Instantly she starts to panic again. Chloe pulls the yellow piece of fabric out from her pocket. She swiftly ties it around Aubrey's neck, ensuring that it isn't too tight. Alice is about to start lecturing them for sure when Amelia comes up from behind her.

"There you are, we've been looking for you. We're leaving in 5 minutes." Alice walks off to go and find the rest of the Bella's. "You two need to brush up on the choreography. Other than that today went well." Amelia says before she too heads back outside.

"I've never done that before."

"Done what?" Chlo asks, confused as she has sat with Aubrey through quite a few panic attacks in the few months she has known the blonde.

"Thrown up while having a panic attack. I'm sorry you…"

"You don't ever have to apologize to me about your anxiety or your panic attacks Bree. Okay? I've stuck with you because you're the best friend I've ever had. And you're the only person in the Bella's who has my back."

"You're the best friend I could ever ask for Chloe."


	3. Day before the wedding - afternoon

Jessica and Ashley make their way straight from their hotel to the hotel where Cynthia Rose is staying and they are meeting the rest of the girls for a catch up session. They are the first to arrive and they get the biggest table that they can. Shorty after Cynthia Rose joins them and the girls ask her how she's feeling about the wedding.

"Hey Stacie!" Jessica says.

"Hi, how's Seattle?"

"It's really great thanks for asking. It rains a lot, but other than that it's been pretty great." Ashley responds.

"Well I'm teaching at an elementary school, and everything has gone well so far. Everyone has been really welcoming, and some of the kids were in last week so that was really lovely to start getting to know them. What have you been up to Stacie?"

"Well I'm bartending in a club in New York, which has been great I guess, but I'm trying to find some work where I get to dance. I'm looking into choreographing something off-Broadway. CR, why didn't we just meet at your house?"

"You have a house now? That's amazing."

"My fiancé's family are all staying there so it's a little crazy. I'm staying here until tomorrow. We're sticking to not seeing each other on the night before the wedding."

The girls are sat drinking their cups of coffee. When Flo and Lilly arrive.

"So, Lilly what have you been up to?"

"It's classified." She responds quietly and goes back to sipping on her mug of coffee.

Not that any of the girls are particularly shocked at this response but honestly they are all curious as to what exactly she's been up to.

"Flo how about you?"

"I'm currently the secretary at an office in Phoenix. It's a marketing company but I just answer the phones and type up documents when they ask me to."

Eventually the conversation is steered to the fact that all three former leaders aren't joining them for coffee. By this point all of the girls are sat around the small table on the ground floor of this hotel. "Aubrey is just being her usual workaholic self." Ashley says

"We all know what Beca and Chloe are doing instead of being here." Fat Amy says as she winks at the rest of the group.

"No they're not. They're just friends."

"Yeah you can live with someone and still just be friends with them."

"But you can't live with someone without having sex with them." Stacie says. "What, that doesn't mean you're in a relationship."

"Who isn't in a relationship?" Emily says as she walks into the corner where the girls are sat.

"Hey Em!" The girls shout in unison.

"How are things going?"

"How's the house?"

"Are you nervous about having to recruit 9 new girls?"

"How's school? What are you taking?"

"Woah, guys slow down." The brunette says after having questions fired at her. "I'd love to hear what all of you have been up to as well but I'm going to grab some coffee first, the journey here was exhausting."

The girls spend about an hour catching up and finding out what everyone has been up to over the summer. And making plans for the holidays, promising that they won't lose touch. After this they all part ways in order to get ready for the rehearsal dinner in a few hours.

* * *

"Hi, I booked a room for one night under the name Beca Mitchell."

The man at the desk types something into the computer before her looks back up at Beca. "Twin room."

"Right."

He takes a key from one of the pegs on the wall. "Room 29. Head up the stairs over there, turn right, and it's the corner room. Drop your key at the front desk before 10am. Have a nice night." He says as he hands the key over to Beca. She wanders back out into the car park where Chloe is standing next to the car with their bags at her feet.

"Come on, you must be freezing." Beca says as she grabs her bag and heads towards the stairs. The chill of the night air is getting to her, and she's wearing far more than Chloe is. They arrived later than they anticipated and Beca is exhausted. While they did take turns at the wheel Beca drove for more than two thirds of the time as Chloe was tired due to having to work for an extra couple of hours the previous day.

She unlocks the door and then pushes it open. She holds the door open as Chloe rolls her suitcase into the room. "Which bed would you like?" The brunette asks as she slowly shuts the door now that Chloe is inside.

"I'll take that one." She says as she points to the bed next to the bathroom. "Is that okay?"

"Thats fine." Beca says as she jumps onto the other bed. "Did you want to shower first?"

"I'm going to shower in the morning. I'm exhausted." The red head says as she opens her suitcase.

"Okay, well I'll be quick, I know the noise keeps you up." Beca says as she grabs a couple of things from her case and heads toward the bathroom.

"Do you mind if I use the toilet first?"

"Go ahead." Beca says as she takes her phone out of her pocket. She responds to the message from the radio station manager who has asked her if she can work this weekend, despite the fact she had clearly informed him that she was going out of town. She wanders over to grab her charger from her bag. She plugs it into her laptop which her proceeds to plug into the wall.

"All yours" Chloe says as she emerges from the bathroom.

"Thanks." Beca replies as she scoops her things up from the bottom of the bed and heads into the small bathroom.

* * *

When she emerges from the bathroom she switches the light off to find that only a small light which is in between the two beds is still on. She pulls her hair out of its messy bun as she makes her way over to her bed. She notices that Chloe has fallen asleep in the middle of texting someone. She carefully moves the phone, contemplating wether or not she should go and get Chloe's charger out of her bag. She decides not to go through the red heads bag and instead just places the device on the night stand before hopping into her own bed. The sheets are cold and the brunette pulls her legs up so that she can wrap herself into a ball to stay warm.

As she reaches over to turn the light off she notices that Chloe is shaking. She assumes it's due to the cold. As soon as Beca throws the duvet off she can instantly feel the cool air. She lightly pads over to the cupboard and checks to see if there are any spare blankets. She spots a folded up blanket on the top shelf and she has to jump slightly to grab it. She looks around to make sure that she hasn't woken Chloe up. Luckily the red head hasn't moved much so she shuts the door quietly and wanders back over to the space between their beds. There was only one blanket in the cupboard and while she is cold she can't stand to see her best friend shivering. So she pulls back Chloe's duvet and the red head shifts slightly, obviously as a reaction to the sudden rush of cold air.

Beca unfolds the blanket ands proceeds to wrap it around the red head. She then gently pulls the duvet back up ensuring that she fully covers her friends sleeping form to contain as much heat as possible. Satisfied as Chloe is definitely shaking much less now Beca returns to her own bed and curls up as much as she can to keep warm, wishing that she had brought warmer clothing with her. "Goodnight Chlo." she whispers into the darkness.

* * *

Beca groans as her phone alarm goes off at 6:30. She can sense Chloe starting to stir as well. The brunette gets out of her bed and switches the alarm off. She then grabs a hoodie and her clothers out of her suitcase before heading into the bathroom before Chloe fully wakes up.

She walks back into the room to find the red head with a very confused expression on her face. "Did you sleep well?" Beca questions as she begins to pack up her stuff.

"Yes I did, but I don't remember getting a blanket."

"Oh… I- erm you were shivering so I grabbed a blanket from the cupboard. I hope that's okay."

"Thanks." Chloe says as she hops out of the bed and wraps her arms around the smaller woman. "I'm going to shower and then we can go."

"Okay, is there anything in particular that you want for breakfast? I'm going to see if there's anywhere nearby that we can drop into on the way."

"Nope, what ever you want is fine."

"Great." Beca says as she whips out her phone and begins to look for somewhere they can stop quickly to grab something to eat. At this point Beca is exhausted and just wants to get up to Maine and collapse on the bed in their hotel room. Whilst she is tired she knows that Chloe is probably just as tired as she is, if not even more as the red head has been working over time at the law firm that she is at. She wasn't sure just how much all the work was affecting the older woman, but as Chloe had managed to fall asleep whilst Beca was in the shower the previous night, Beca is certain that Chloe is overworked, and needs this vacation just as much as she does.

Once again Beca spends most of the time at the wheel, even noticing that Chloe fell asleep for a short period of the journey, during which Beca turned her music down so that her friend could rest peacefully.


	4. Winter 2008-09

Aubrey sprints out of the classroom. They were dismissed 20 minutes late and now she has 10 minutes to get to Bellas practice before Alice rips her head off. She checks her watch. There is no way she'll make it on time. The auditorium is on the other side of campus and she's wearing heels. They're not particularly high heels, but Alice and Amelia instead that her and Chloe wear them all week so that they can break them in, and ensure that they are able to dance in them.

After almost falling over 4 times Aubrey finally makes it to the auditorium. Her blonde locks are frizzy and she can feel herself sweating. She's almost 100 percent certain that she's tomato red too.

"You're late. And you look like a bus just hit you. Where have you been?" Alice snaps.

Aubrey gulps. She feels sick to her core, she's positive that if she doesn't have a good reason for being late that she'll be kicked out of the Bellas. "What Alice means to say is why are you late to rehearsal?" Amelia says with a much more sympathetic tone.

The blonde looks over at Chloe and then takes a deep breath. "I'm sorry for being late. My class got let out late, but I ran all the way here."

"Take a seat." Amelia says whilst Alice gives Aubrey a disapproving look.

Aubrey makes her way over to where her best friend is sat, and Chloe immediately takes her hand and gives it a reassuring squeeze.

"We are going to start with a 20 minute cardio workout before we move on to learning our final dance routine." All of the girls put their chairs to one side before they start making their way around the auditorium as fast as they can.

"Aubrey, Chloe keep up the pace!" The girls are running side by side and Chloe starts to speed up.

Aubrey can feel her heart rate speed up, and her throat start to close up. Her vision starts to blur and she feels light headed. "Chlo." Aubrey chokes on her own words and she can feel herself start to slip down the stairs. Chloe is at the top of the stairs when she hears Aubrey call out for her followed by a thudding noise. She immediately tuns around and sees Aubrey collapsed on the stairs. The red head rushes down and notices Alice smirking as Amelia makes her way up the stairs to see what has happened.

Aubrey is willing herself not to cry but she can't help herself. Chloe helps her into a sitting position while Amelia crouches on the step below trying to ask Aubrey what happened. The older woman fails to get any information out of the sobbing blonde. Chloe has her arm wrapped around the blonde's shoulder suspecting that Aubrey had a panic attack prior to falling. She hopes that her breathing will return to normal in a minute or two.

"Go and get checked out by the nurse, we still have to continue with rehearsal." Alice says "And try to put more hours into cardio so that this doesn't happen again."

"Alice is right, we do have to continue with rehearsal, go and get yourself checked out and then just go to your room and rest. Text me so that I know you're okay." Amelia says as her and Chloe help Aubrey to her feet. The blonde nods as she slowly makes her way down the stairs.

Chloe has her arm around the blonde and they make their way towards the door. "Chloe, you have to stay Aubrey can go on her own." In that moment Chloe wants nothing more than to punch Alice.

"I'll be okay Chlo, you stay." Chloe takes a deep breath in and resists the urge to seriously injure their co-captain.

"Okay, I'll bring your stuff to you later. Stay safe Bree." The blonde nods as she slowly makes her way out of the auditorium.

"So…" The captains start to get all of the girls into their positions but Chloe isn't really focused on anything that's happening, all she can think about is if Aubrey was hurt or not and if she has managed to get back safely.

When the girls are finally dismissed Chloe grabs her's and Aubrey's bags and then practically sprints across campus. Of course it had to be raining so by the time she gets inside she's soaked. She knocks on Aubrey's door and is greeted by her roommate who tells her that Aubrey is not there. She starts to inwardly curse before pulling out her phone to call the blonde, but when she does Aubrey's phone starts ringing inside her bag. Chloe thinks about going to see if Aubrey actually made it to the nurse or not but first she decides to go back to her own room to dump all of the bags that she is carrying.

When she arrives at her own dorm room Aubrey is sitting outside staring at the wall. "Bree! I was so worried, I went to your room and you weren't there, and your phone was in your bag and I wasn't sure if you were okay or not. I'm so glad you're okay. Right lets get you inside."

Chloe unlocks the door and puts the bags down before heading back out into the corridor to help Aubrey to her feet. "What did the nurse say?"

"Oh I didn't go."

"Bree, you could be seriously injured."

"I'm fine. I threw up, but other than that I'm fine. Can we please talk about something else?"

"You threw up, again? I knew I should have come with you. You could have a concussion, did you hit your head? What was I thinking?"

"Chlo, stop pacing. I'm fine now. Come sit down, stop stressing." Chloe grabs a towel and joins Aubrey on her bed. "Do you want to change? You're soaked."

"Yeah I suppose I should." She says as she grabs a couple of things from her closet and starts to change.

"So, what are you doing for the holidays?"

"Nothing much, you?"

"I'm going back home to see my parents."

"That sounds, fun…"

"I guess, I mean my dad will probably spend the whole time trying to talk me into majoring in business. I get so nervous around him because I just want him to be proud, and I can't say no to him. You're not going to see your family?"

"We're not that close… I'll probably just stay here and maybe get a job… I'm not really sure."

"So this might sound like a crazy idea, but why don't you come home with me for the holidays. I'd feel bad knowing you were here alone."

"That's a really sweet offer, but I couldn't do that besides, there's loads for me to do here."

"Alright, well if you change your mind just let me know."

* * *

It's Saturday afternoon and they are halfway through rehearsing their set when Aubrey sprints out of the room for the 4th time that week. Their rehearsal schedule has been manic since they got back from their winter break. They don't have a single day off and the shorter days mean that when rehearsal is done it's already dark out.

Chloe knows exactly where Aubrey is and she wants nothing more than to go and make sure her friend is okay but Alice and Amelia have pulled her to one side whilst the rest of the girls continue to practice the dance routine. "This isn't the first time this has happened, you need to tell her to sort it out."

"I understand that this is taking a toll on her, but it's stressful for everyone. She can't just run out whenever she gets overwhelmed."

"She's working on it, I swear she is."

"She's clearly not working hard enough." Alice scoffs.

"I'm sorry, but if she can't make it through all the rehearsals next week I can't let her perform. You understand right?" Amelia feels bad that she's having to say this, but they are due to perform at regionals in under a month. Chloe nods, but secretly she's terrified that Aubrey might not be able to do that. "Everyone back to their places." Chloe is about to grab her stuff and leave when she hears Amelia's voice. "Chloe that means you too." The red head makes her way back to her starting position.

Once rehearsal is officially over Chloe slips her heels off and puts on her boots before grabbing her's and Aubrey's bags. She heads to the nearest bathroom where she finds Aubrey sat on the floor, red eyed and shaking.

"Bree, it's freezing in here. Come on, let's go back to my room."

"I screwed up again." The blonde says as tears start to fall once again.

"Hey, Aubrey look at me." Chloe says as she kneels so that she's at the same level as the blonde. "I know it feels like you screwed up, but you didn't. You're doing so much better now, and I know how hard you're working to keep calm."

"But everyone else hates me."

"They don't know you, they don't even know what's really happening. I'm sure they'd be more supportive if they did."

"You can't tell them, you promised me that you wouldn't."

"I'm not going to tell them Bree, but if they knew that you were working on controlling your nerves I'm sure they'd give you some tips and be really nice."

"I doubt that. It'd be a better reason to get rid of me. Maybe I should just leave before Alice kicks me out."

"Don't say that! You've worked too hard. You need to go out there and prove her wrong. Bedsides if you quit who am I meant to hang out with?"

"What if I can't… prove her wrong that is."

"You can, I _know_ you can. Listen when you start to feel nervous, look at me, I'll coach you through it okay? Come on, lets go before I freeze to death." Chloe says as she helps her friend up.

* * *

"Next up we have an all female group from Barden University. The Barden Bellas."

Alice turns to face the two youngest members. "Don't screw this up." She says before putting on a smile and slowly walking onto the stage. Chloe can sense Aubrey tensing up next to her. She grabs the blondes hand and gives it a squeeze before she follows on and takes her place on stage.

During the performance Aubrey glances over at Chloe twice, and there's a sparkle in her eyes that reassures the blonde, and she manages to make it through the performance. As soon as the girls get off stage Aubrey pulls Chloe into a tight hug, whilst whispering in her ear "Thank you."

"I'm so proud of you Bree." Chloe says back before they dash off to join the rest of the group.


	5. Rehearsal Dinner

Beca parks the car in the parking lot next to the hotel and then wanders into the lobby. Chloe fell asleep about 20 minutes ago and the brunette doesn't have the heart to wake her just yet. She gets them checked in and then heads out to the car to grab their bags. She manages to carry both of their cases into the elevator and along the corridor to their room. Beca pushes the door open and sets their bags down. She then heads back downstairs to get Chloe. When she gets to the car the read head is still sound asleep, Beca feels guilty but she knows she has to wake Chloe as there is no way that she could carry her friend upstairs. She lightly taps Chloe's arm while softly repeating her name. Chloe opens her eyes slowly, getting adjusted to the amount of light.

"Hey, we're here. You can come upstairs and go back to sleep if you want to, we have a couple of hours. I already took our bags up to the room."

"You didn't have to do that, you should have woken me."

"It's fine, you looked so peaceful. Besides my bag isn't that heavy, but I have no idea what you've brought with you!"

"Clothes and stuff. You should have let me carry it."

"Chlo, relax, I'm just messing with you. Come on, you've been working so hard. I know you're exhausted. Honestly I'm glad that you got some sleep, I'd be worried that you'd pass out from exhaustion otherwise."

"Thanks Beca." Chloe says as they make their way down the corridor to their room. Beca inserts the key card and then pushes the door open. Chloe walks in after Beca, who is already grabbing her laptop and finding somewhere to charge it. Chloe sits on the edge of the bed closest to the door. Beca has her laptop on the desk and she's clearly looking for a mix as she goes through the ridiculous amount of folders she has. The brunette takes her headphones out of her bag and plugs them in. They're Beca's beats which she had spent the entire year before saving up to buy.

Chloe remembers the exact day that Beca bought them as the whole of the Bella household had received a lecture on how they could not touch her stuff, and we're not to go into her room under any circumstances. Naturally Chloe had looked up the exact price of her friends precious new headphones. Which much to her horror cost $400. After this she has taken extra care whenever Beca would let her listen to her mixes.

"What are you working on?"

"I've been trying to write a song, but it's not going well, so I'm just editing the vocals on this track. You can come and listen if you like."

Chloe makes her way to the desk and Beca hands over her headphones before saying "It's not done yet…" and clicking the play button on the track.

Chloe passes the Beca back her headphones. "Bec that sounds amazing so far! It sucks that I never get to listen to much of your work anymore. I think you need to give it time, you could write an amazing song, but you can't rush the creative process."

"I suppose you're right. It's just that I should probably start sending off some of my work soon. Maybe Em will have some ideas that we can work on."

"I'm sure that she'll be more than willing to help."

"I'll talk to her tonight. I'm going to go and take a shower before I start getting ready." Beca says as she notices the time on her laptop before she closes it.

"Okay, well I'm going to make some coffee, do you want some?"

"Yes please." Beca responds as she gathers her stuff and heads into the bathroom.

* * *

The brunette finishes her coffee off before slipping into her dress for the evening. She checks her make-up and then shoves her phone into her bag, along with her eyeliner. "How long do you take to get ready Chlo?" Beca calls as she tugs awkwardly at the dress which she is only wearing because Chloe instead that it wouldn't be appropriate for her to wear jeans. It's black and form fitted, and Beca is grateful that Chloe at least did her the favor of picking black instead of red or something overly bright.

"I'm almost done." The red head calls from the bathroom.

"We're going to be late."

"Okay okay. I'm ready." Chloe says as she emerges rom the bathroom. "Can you zip me up please?"

"Sure." Beca says as Chloe turns around and holds up her hair, while Beca pulls the zip up. The dress that Chloe is wearing is just above knee length, strapless and sky blue, to compliment her eyes. Her make-up is flawless and her red locks are partially pinned up so they don't cover her face. "Chlo you look amazing."

"Not so bad yourself Becs." Beca double checks that she has the key card before they leave the room. The two women head down to the parking lot to get their car. Beca drives to the hotel where the rehearsal dinner is taking place and the pair heads into the lobby. They are then directed to the ballroom where most of the Bellas already are. There are a lot of other people who they don't recognize, and so they assume that they are family members and friends.

They look for their name cards and find that all of the Bella's have been seated at one table. Beca takes her seat next to Emily. "Hey Em."

"Hey."

"How are things at Barden?"

"Pretty great so far, but I'm nervous about taking over the Bellas and recruiting new members."

"Yeah, I get it. I mean I always had Chloe to help me, so I never really 'took over' per se because she took care of pretty much everything. But I'm sure that you'll do great."

"Thanks, that means a lot. How's everything going down in Florida?"

"Good, I mean I still want to move to LA at some point, but my job there is great. Chloe seems happy. Are you still writing songs?"

"When I have time I so try and sit down and work on stuff."

"Would you consider working together again?"

"Yes, absolutely. Although I'm not sure how it would work with my schedule. And I'm sure you're super busy too. Maybe I could just send you a couple of recordings and you could play around with them and record some things yourself?"

"That sounds amazing, you're the best. We'll sit down and talk about this more at some point, okay?"

"Of course."

"Congrats." Beca says as Cynthia Rose approaches their table. She stands up and gives the other woman a hug.

"Congratulations." Chloe stands up as well and the three girls start to chat about how Cynthia Rose is feeling about tomorrow.

However they are interrupted by Chloe's phone ringing. "Sorry I have to take this." She says as she excuses herself. She wanders out to a quiet corridor and picks up. "This is Chloe Beale."

"Hey, can you tell Cynthia Rose that I'm going to be late, and I'm really sorry." Comes a rushed voice through the speaker.

"Bree?"

"Yes, who did you think it was?" Chloe can hear rustling in the background.

"My office, your number is private."

"Oh, I'm calling from my office phone."

"You're still at the lodge?"

"Yes." Aubrey replies as she sorts through the stack of papers on her desk. "I'm leaving right now though, but I won't be there until much later than expected as I'll have to get the next flight." She shoves some of the files into her bag and locks up behind her before dashing to the taxi.

"Okay well I guess I'll see you some time. Have a safe journey Bree."

"I'll be there tonight. Bye Chlo." She says before she pushes the end call button and the taxi starts out the journey to the airport.

"That was Aubrey." Chloe says when she returns to the ballroom. "She's very sorry but she isn't going to be able to make the dinner, but she will definitely be here before tomorrow."

"Where is she?"

"She's stuck at work." Is Chloe's response.

"Okay, well there's nothing that can be done I guess. It's a shame that she can't be here though. I should probably get back to my table now." Cynthia Rose says as she glances at the time.

"See you." Chloe says as she heads back to join Beca at the table.

"Who was that?" Beca asks.

"Aubrey, she's running late." Chloe responds as she takes her seat next to the brunette.

"How late?"

"Well she's stuck at work, but she was just leaving when I spoke to her."

"Really? She runs the place. Surely she makes her own schedule. How is she working this late?"

"It's Aubrey. She'll have made more work to do."

"I guess so. But she's getting here tonight right?"

"Yes she said she'll probably be late, but I expect she'll still arrive tonight."

"So do we need to go and pick her up?"

"I'm sure she'll be fine to get a cab."

"We can go and get her, it's not a problem. She's your best friend."

"Don't be silly, we're both tired. Plus Aubrey is an adult she is capable of getting a cab to the hotel. Bec's, you're my best friend too."

* * *

Part way through the dinner Chloe taps Beca lightly under the table. Beca turns her head when she feels Chloe's hand on her knee. The older woman doesn't say anything and so Beca takes another sip of her drink. She feels another tap and then Chloe is grabbing her hand as she stands up. She follows her friend out but stops her when they are out of the crowded ballroom. "Chlo where are we going?"

"Bathroom."

"Why am I here? I want another drink."

"I don't like being alone in hotel bathrooms."

"Are you scared of them or something?"

"Yes." Chloe responds, as she drops her head to stare at the floor.

"Shit, Chlo sorry. I didn't know that people were genuinely scared of them. Most girls in my high school would just drag other girls with them so they could get comments on their make-up."

"Just go back and order your drink. I'll be fine."

"Don't be silly, of course I'm coming with you now. As long as you don't spend hours touching up your make-up." They walk down the empty corridor to the bathrooms and Beca waits awkwardly whilst Chloe goes into a stall. She checks her eyeliner before whipping her phone out to see if she has received any messages. She types up a response to her boss to let him know that she will be able to work next weekend.

When Chloe emerges from the stall she washes her hands and then checks her hair in the mirror. "Chlo."

"Yes?"

"Why are you scared of hotel bathrooms?"

"It's really silly."

"Tell me anyway?"

"I watched a movie where this group of girls got murdered in a hotel, and he chased one of them into the bathroom and jumped out of one of the stalls."

Beca instinctively turns around to check that no one is behind her. "Why did you have to tell me that, now I'm going to be freaked out."

"You asked!"

"I guess it serves me right then." Beca says as she walks out behind Chloe, ensuring that no one is following them.

* * *

At the end of the dinner the girls stay for about an hour before they start individually making their way back to where they are staying. Beca and Chloe thank Cynthia Rose for a lovely evening and wish her the best before saying they'll see her tomorrow.

Chloe drives back as Beca has a little more to drink. The pair head up to their room and Beca begins to get ready for bed whilst Chloe checks her phone.


	6. Spring 09

The Bella's are rehearsing a new song in preparation for the semi-finals, which means that they have to put in extra hours to learn the new choreography.

"Alright girls. That's it for the day, as you know I'm going to be away for spring break, so Alice will be running things until I get back. Have a great spring break guys. Work hard at rehearsals and have some fun. I'll see you all when I get back." Amelia dismisses the girls before going over the schedule with Alice one more time. With it being spring break there are only a few rehearsals planned.

Chloe knows that this is going to be hard for Aubrey, and Alice will probably stress her out even more than necessary, so she has prepared a surprise for the blonde. Aubrey practically lives in Chloe's dorm so she has to wait for her to leave before she sets everything up.

When Aubrey returns from her shower she is surprised to find the room dark and empty. However her bed has an envelope on it and her desk is littered with unlit candles. She picks up the envelope and instantly recognizes her name on the front in Chloe's handwriting. She tears it open and finds a letter inside.

 _Bree,  
I know that Bellas practice is going to be crazy. I'm proud of you, and I got you something. I hope that it will help you get through this week. It's going to be hard, but the gift certificate and the candles I got you should help you to relax.  
Love Chloe xx_

In the envelope she also finds a gift certificate for a spa weekend. Only Chloe would do something this thoughtful. Aubrey smiles as she texts Chloe thank her. When she doesn't receive an immediate reply she starts to panic. She pulls a box of matches out from her drawer and lights one of the small candles that Chloe got her. She sits and watched the flame flicker while trying to keep her breathing even. She opens the window to get some air in and then she turns her attention back to the flame which is now flickering more aggressively in the wind. She grows more concerned that Chloe hasn't replied, as she usually checks her phone periodically incase the blonde does have a panic attack. She notices another piece of paper on her bed.

 _Out with Blake, don't wait up. Call me if you need me._

 _Love Chloe xx_

 _Ps. I really hope you like your present._

Aubrey sits on her bed and crosses her legs. She orders in some food and then pulls her laptop from her desk and begins to work on one of her essays. She's not used to being alone in Chloe's dorm, even though she practically lives there already. On the nights that Chloe would go out on dates she would usually pre-warn Aubrey and the blonde would spend the night in her own room, with her overly irritable room mate. She contemplates going back there, after all Chloe had said not to wait up. Then there is a knock on the door, and she shifts to go and get her food. She hands the delivery guy a couple of bills and tells him to keep the change. She closes the door and puts the plastic bag down on the desk. She figures that she'll eat, finish her essay and them just go to sleep, so there really is no point in going back to her room.

Blake is a junior so Chloe is most likely at his apartment. The pair have been dating for almost 3 months now and whilst Aubrey hates having to share her only real friend she can't exactly complain. Chloe has been so supportive of her and had even come home from a couple of dates due to Aubrey's panic attacks. They had even gone on a double date - after Alice had yelled at Aubrey for 'not being committed to the Bellas' - at Chloe's insistence that Aubrey shouldn't be alone.

Aubrey is spooning mouthfuls of rice into her mouth whilst typing with her other hand when she hears her phone chime. She grabs the device, assuming that it's Chloe, and instinctively unlocks it. Instead it's a message from Alice telling them that they will be having an extra rehearsal on Saturday.

She puts the phone down and tries to focus on her breathing as the familiar sensation of her throat closing up starts to take over.

* * *

"I saw you with her. No stop trying to deny it."

"Chloe, baby, I was drunk. It happened, I'm so sorry."

"Being drunk doesn't excuse your behaviour . We're still together and you cheated."

"If you were actually there, and not 2 hours late, then maybe…"

"Don't you dare finish that sentence!"

"You're never available Chloe, you're always with Aubrey."

"She's my best friend, so yes I spend a lot of time with her. I don't know why you're bringing her into this. Look I'm done okay?" Chloe runs her hands through her hair as she turns for the door.

"Chloe wait." She grabs her bag from the couch and pulls her phone out. "Can we please talk about this?"

"We already have. You cheated on me, and that's not something I will tolerate, and you practically insulted my best friend. Aubrey is probably waiting for me anyway. I'm done Blake. _We_ are done. Goodbye." Chloe says as she walks out of his apartment and the door clicks shut behind her.

She has to walk back to her dorm, due to the fact Blake had driven her to his place. However the mild spring air makes the walk a rather pleasant one, and it gives her a chance to clear her head.

Chloe turns the key in the door and finds Aubrey sitting on the floor with the trash can in front of her, puking her guts out. "Oh Bree." Chloe exclaims as she shoves the key into her pocket and drops her bag onto the floor. The red head joins her friend on the floor and gathers her blonde locks, securing an elastic around them. "It's okay Bree. I'm here." Chloe says as she takes note of her surroundings, the open window and the lit candle. Both tell tale signs that Aubrey knew this was coming. She continues to rub soothing circles on her friends back. "I'm sorry I didn't get here sooner." She takes Aubrey's hand and gives it a squeeze as she waits for Aubrey to stop puking.

She helps the blonde up and sits her on the bed. "Here." Chloe says as she pours out a glass of water and hands it to Aubrey. "Small sips, I'll be back in a minute."

Chloe gathers the trash bag and heads out of the room to the garbage chute. When Chloe returns she joins Aubrey on the bed. "Do you want to talk about it?" Aubrey shakes her head in response. "Okay well then I'll put some music on then, and you know you can tell me if you want to."Aubrey nods as Chloe pulls her phone out of her bag and unlocks it. She reads her messages before plugging it into the speakers on her desk. She takes the glass from Aubrey's shaking hands and places it on the desk. "I just read Alice's message. I should have seen it sooner and I should have been here. I'm sorry Bree."

"You don't have to apologize Chloe. You've done more than enough for me, and you can't be here all the time, you have a life of your own."

"But…"

"Don't, you don't have to explain. I'm just glad you're here now. And thank you for my gift. Oh and we're going together. After whatever Alice is going to put us through I think we'll need it."

Chloe wraps her arms around her best friend and tips them both backwards on the bed. "Good I could use something to…"

"To what?"

"Blake and I broke up."

"Chloe I'm so sorry, and here you are worrying about all my problems."

"Don't be. It's kind of been… well honestly I didn't expect things to work out."

"Still it's only right that we stay in watch movies and eat as much ice cream as possible."

"Well I can't say no to that. Come on, lets go to the store."

* * *

They return to Chloe's dorm room about an hour later with a bag full of ice cream, popcorn and recess pieces and another which contains most of Aubrey's DVD collection. Aubrey joins Chloe on her bed as the red head starts up her laptop. They sort through the DVD's and make pile of movies that they want to watch. Chloe insists that they watch Carrie, despite the fact horror movies terrify her she loves the adrenaline rush that comes with being on the edge of your seat for the whole movie, and at least 2 weeks afterwards. The rest of the pile is mostly chick flicks.

The pair fall asleep midway through watching 'sliding doors' surrounded by open bags of candy. Chloe shifts in her sleep and feels something shift on her lap. She opens her eyes and see's that she's knocked over the bowl of popcorn. She shifts as slowly as possible so that she doesn't wake Aubrey up, and attempts to movie some of the things off the bed. Once the bed is clean she moves the sleeping blonde, so that she is lying down, and covers her with a blanket from the cupboard. There was no way that Chloe would be able to carry Aubrey to her bed, so she changes into a t-shirt and shorts and climbs into Aubrey's bed instead.

Aubrey Posen has always been a morning person, so at 6:28 am when the first crack of light begins to stream through the window her eyes flutter open and she stretches her arms out above her head. She sets her alarm for 9am and leaves it by Chloe's bedside, before changing so that she can go on a run.

At 8 Aubrey heads to her dorm and gathers her clothes. She heads into the shower block, which is almost always empty at this time on a Saturday.

By the time Aubrey gets back to Chloe's place it's almost 9. She sets down the cups of coffee and the plastic bag which contains 2 boxes of waffles. When the 9 o'clock alarm goes off Chloe reaches out to switch it off before rolling back over. Aubrey taps her on the shoulder. ' Chlo, wake up, I have coffee."

Chloe opens her eyes and sits up. She takes the cup of coffee from the blonde and sips on the hot liquid. "Let me guess, you've been up for hours?"

"Well I woke up at about 6:30."

"Of course you did."

"I have to get in my morning cardio."

"That doesn't require getting up at the crack of dawn, besides, you're in amazing shape."

"Because I go on a hour run every morning, how else do you think I burn off all the calories I eat? Oh and I got waffles."

Chloe hops out of her bed and grabs her dressing gown before she takes a seat at her desk, knowing that Aubrey really hates it when she eats on her bed. She also doesn't trust herself not to spill the syrup everywhere. Aubrey takes the two boxes out of the plastic bag. And Chloe scoffs at the fact her best friend has decided to eat healthy waffles. She has summer berries all over her waffle, whereas Chloe's is drowned in maple syrup.

They spend the day watching more movies and going over some of the songs they have to practise.

By the time the next weekend comes around Aubrey is just excited to be getting away for a little while. Of course she's worked out pretty much everything that could go wrong but she knows that if she has her best friend by her side that everything will be alright.

* * *

A/N: I'm the worst person ever, anyway have a way overdue update.


	7. That Night

Beca is in her pyjamas in bed, working on a mix and Chloe is on her phone checking her emails, when she gets a message in from Aubrey saying the blonde is in the hotel lobby. Her phone chimes again asking if Chloe is up for coming down for drinks. Chloe checks the time and it's only a little after midnight so she agrees to join her for a quick drink. She can't believe she hasn't seen her best friend in a month and so thinks that a catch up session is really overdue.

"Hey Becs." Chloe says as she taps the smaller woman on the shoulder. Beca slides her headphones off so that they are sitting around her neck. "I'm going downstairs to have a drink with Aubrey, do you want to join us?"

"I really need to finish this, do you mind telling her that I'm asleep? I feel really bad, because I want to see her, but I've been working on this for weeks."

"Sure. Don't wait up if you're tired."

"Night Chlo."

"Night." Chloe calls as she heads out of the room and down the elevator, to the lobby. She's wearing a loose t-shirt and a pair of jeans which she threw on, however she assumes that Aubrey will be tired and want to stay in the hotel rather than going to look for a bar.

"Chloe!" Aubrey exclaims as she engulfs the smaller woman in a hug.

"Hey Bree."

"Let me just go and put my stuff in my room and then I'll be right down."

"Alright, sounds good. Did you want to go out, or just stay at the bar here?"

"Do you mind staying here?"

"Not at all, do you want me to order for you?"

"Could you get me a rosé please?"

"Sure. I'll see you in a minute." Chloe says as she heads towards the small bar. She takes a seat and orders Aubrey's rosé and a glass of red wine for herself. The bar is empty, excluding the pair of men in suits - who Chloe assumes are having some sort of business meeting - sat at the opposite end of the bar. It doesn't take long for the drinks to arrive and Chloe swirls her glass as she tells the bartender to charge it to room 219.

"So, how have you been?" Aubrey asks as she slides into the seat next to the red head.

"Pretty good. The internship is going well and I'm learning a lot. How about you? Still working harder than necessary I see."

"Well I manage most things myself so yes its hard work but I love it. I'm actually thinking of opening a new branch. So things are going well overall, aside from my love life that is."

"Why? Plenty of people come to your lodge, none of them catch your eye?"

"Not really. Not that you're in any position to give relationship advice, or judge me for my lack of one."

"What?"

"Oh don't play dumb Chlo. You're obviously still in love with her, and don't try and play it off as a 'silly crush' that only worked for the first month. You two live together, you sent me a joint birthday card, you took a road trip up here. I mean you're practically a married couple." The blonde says as she casually sips on her drink, as Chloe does her best not to choke on her wine.

"We aren't! Besides…"

"Besides the fact she's hot, now she's single - so you can stop using that as an excuse - oh and there's the small fact that you've been in love with her for 4 years! Stop making excuses and just tell her."

"What just like that, like it's that easy? 'good morning Becs here's your coffee and by the way I'm hopelessly in love with you. But you know if you don't feel the same then it's fine I'll just crawl into a hole and die then.' Come on Bree you _know_ I can't just tell her."

"Yes you can. It's Beca, you two are best friends."

" _You're_ my best friend."

"What are we, high school children? She's your second best friend then and also the love of your life. You know if you don't tell her then I just might."

"You wouldn't dare!" Chloe exclaims. She's horrified at the idea, Beca cannot find out about this, and Aubrey is the last person she should find out from if she were to know.

"I'd be doing you a favor."

"Bree it's not that simple. I don't know what I'd do if I lost her."

"Come on, worst case scenario what will happen?"

"She'll hate me. No, she'll reject me and them leave, which means that I'll never see her again."

"So you'd rather spend your whole life not knowing and having her as your friend?"

"Yes…"

"Really? Come on some part of you must want to know. She must feel something, do you at least know if she likes girls?" Chloe just stares into her drink, avoiding Aubrey's questions. "Oh my god, Chlo why did she break up with Jesse?"

"Distance."

"That's what she told you?"

"Yes."

"Nothing more?"

"Well she didn't really want to talk about it."

"Right…"

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Has she ever kissed another girl?"

"How am I meant to know that?"

"You've known her for the whole time she was at college, did she ever kiss a girl at a party or something?"

"I have no idea."

"Seriously!? You're not a very observant, or inquisitive best friend. Within an hour of knowing you I knew that you were into girls and guys."

"She was with Jesse that whole time."

"So? I kissed people while I was dating people. Heavy make out sessions were the cause of a lot of my break-ups. You know all about my drunken escapades, granted there aren't all that many but you _live_ with her, what the hell do you guys talk about?"

"Music and stuff."

"That's code for 'I watch while she makes mixes, and she zones out and completely ignores me' right?"

"She doesn't mean to do that, she just gets really focused, that's all."

"As your best friend I'm going to have to do some research for you."

"What? No! Don't do that. Bree!"

"I'll see you tomorrow Chlo. Night!" Aubrey says as she heads off to the lift with a smirk on her face.

Chloe finishes off her wine and then heads back up to the room that she is haring with Beca. When she gets there however she finds that it is empty. Beca's laptop is on the desk and plugged in to charge but the brunette is nowhere to be seen.

* * *

The September air in Maine at night is cold and Beca can feel the goosebumps all over her exposed skin. She wishes that she had thought to bring a jacket with her. However, it's too late to go back and get one now so instead she carries on walking away from the hotel.

She had gone down to join Chloe and Aubrey as she realised that she was getting nowhere with her mixes. When she got downstairs she overheard Chloe and Aubrey's conversation. She wasn't expecting Chloe to be telling Aubrey that she was in love with her. Naturally Beca's first instinct was to get the hell out. And so she did, she ran out of the front of the hotel and then kept walking further and further away. It's what she's used to doing. Running. Anytime anything would get difficult or too serious she would find a way out of the situation.

When Jesse had asked her to move to LA with him she had said no. LA was always her dream, but when Jesse asked her she had a sinking feeling at the pit of her stomach, and she didn't feel excited or even scared. She felt empty, and just a touch guilty. After all Jesse was a really great guy, and he had been a really sweet boyfriend. So Beca wasn't sure why her gut instinct was to say no.

With Chloe things were always different. Chloe stops all of her instincts. When she's with the red head she's mesmerized. When Chloe had barged into her shower and asked her to sing, if it had been anyone else Beca is sure that she would have ripped the shower curtain straight off the railing and gotten the hell out. But from the second her eyes locked with Chloe's bright blue ones she felt compelled to stay. Of course shorty after this Chloe had said that she thought they were going to be 'really fast friends' and they were. But Beca had managed to miss Chloe's apparent attraction towards her.

Honestly Beca Mitchell had never been good at picking up on other peoples feelings, and perhaps that's part of what drew her to Chloe, her openness. Chloe would always say what was on her mind, so Beca would never have to guess what the red head was thinking. She can't deny that her best friend is attractive and sure she's thought about experimenting, but never more than that. At least not until now. Now she's questioning her whole relationship with the red head. How long had Chloe been, as she had put it 'hopelessly in love' with her. And how had it taken Beca this long to realize that whenever she's in Chloe's presence her overwhelming need to escape everyone and everything comes to a halt. She doesn't feel the need to run because she has everything she needs when she's with Chloe, she's at home.

She's not sure where she's walking anymore. She reaches for her phone but she remembers that it's in the hotel room as she felt no need to bring it down to the bar with her. She's not sure how long she's been walking for but she figures that she should probably begin to make her way back.

It's past 2 by the time Beca finally returns to the room. Chloe is fast asleep by this point. Beca plugs her phone in to charge and notices that she has a missed call from Chloe. She assumes that she was wondering where the hell she had been.

She changes and hops into bed. As she stares up at the ceiling in the dark she makes a promise to herself. By the time they get back to Florida she will have her thoughts sorted out and she'll sit down with Chloe and actually talk to her. As she drifts off into a peaceful slumber she can't help but replay that moment in her mind. _"I'm hopelessly in love with you."_

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A/N: again sorry for the delayed update, everything is a bit hectic right now. Hope you all enjoyed it anyway and I want to thank those of you who take the time to leave me such wonderful reviews, you're all awesome! Thanks for sticking with me!


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